Star Power
by asearcher
Summary: What's Hoshi to do when she finds herself somewhere she never expected to be.  Written for March History Month at The Delphic Expanse.


Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Star Power

by asearcher

Hoshi Sato opened her eyes and found herself looking through trees at a blue sky. It took only a moment to realize she was also lying on green grass. If she didn't know better, she'd say she was on Earth again, but that wasn't possible. When they'd left their home planet after the defeat of Terra Prime, _Enterprise_ had moved into deep space once more, restarting their mission of exploration. It would have taken weeks to get back home.

Getting up, she brushed off Starfleet uniform. As she became aware of more of her surroundings, she was confused. She could see she was in an area of parkland but outside the edge could see a variety of old style office buildings around her. It was disconcerting to her that she couldn't recall how she ended up where she was. She checked her pockets. Nothing. Not even a communicator.

"Great. I don't know where I am, and I can't call the ship." She moved to the pathway towards the egress from the park. Once free of the trees over cover, she stopped short, looking up into the hills above her. She blinked, but the vista stayed.

HOLLYWOODLAND

White block letters against mountain green were unmistakable. She'd seen the restored HOLLYWOOD sign many times throughout her childhood when visiting family in Los Angeles. This looked just like it but the area around her didn't look anything like what she remembered. Besides, there was that additional 'LAND' added to the sign. She knew that hadn't been a part of the icon when she been there. None of this made any sense.

Once more, a feeling of confusion griped her.

A woman turned into the park. She was wearing an outfit that looked familiar to Hoshi but at the same time, didn't look anything like what she knew to be fashionable. Then it hit her. That movie that Trip showed a few weeks before. _The Great Gatsby_. She and Trip had been talking about the movie and the history of filmmaking in general right before….

_Damnit! Why couldn't she remember?_

She tilted her head, asking herself questions to get to the bottom of this mystery but it wasn't adding up. Was she in some kind of a historical park? Could be, but they were in deep space. How could there be a historical park of Earth? As far as she knew, no one out here even knew about Earth. And why early Hollywood? She corrected herself. HollywoodLAND.

Hoshi's walk took her out of the park. She decided she needed to do a little detective work to gather more facts and figure out what was going on. As she moved further into the commercial area, she found kiosk that was selling newspapers. She recognized the newstands from museums she had visited. In her world, there was no need for such things. Going up to the stand, she picked the top newspaper. "March 1, 1926. 1926? What the hell's going on?" she asked herself quietly.

"Hey. If you're going to read that, it'll cost you a nickel," the proprietor called over to her.

She realized he must be speaking English as she didn't have a universal translator with her. "A nickel?"

"Yeah. We don't take any of those coins with holes in them so don't try it."

"Those are Chinese coins," she said, remembering her history lessons before putting down the newspaper. "I just wanted to see the date." She walked off still reeling from the changes that had obviously occurred. Whatever had happened, if she based her analysis on the evidence around her, she had to be on Earth on March 1, 1926. That would mean she'd traveled in time.

She knew that time travel was possible. After all, she'd been to an alternate timeline in 1944, right? And before that, the Captain and T'Pol had both stopped that Xindi bioweapon. Still, those times made sense. Something was happening that had to be changed in every instance she was aware of…and it was the captain that was recruited to do the changing. Why was she here?

She continued to look around so she could get her bearings in the city. Deep in thought, she almost walked in from of a car which convinced her to go back to the park to think. On her way back, more memories came to her. They'd been examining a planet along their present route that wasn't in the Vulcan Star Charts. The planet was uninhabited and T'Pol's initial scans showed evidence of ruins and some potential dilithium deposits. The captain had sent Trip, Malcolm, Ensign Travers, and her on the mission to do a first survey.

Once she and Trip had made it to the ruins, they'd started their survey. Trip had found a stash of some instruments. Hoshi had picked one up and pushed a button and then…the next thing she remembered…she was here.

She stopped to consider that. Was that why she'd ended up here? She pushed a button on an alien technology and ended up back in her planet's past? It couldn't be a coincidence that the discussion she and Trip were having about the early days of movies coincided with where she was now. A sinking feeling hit her right after that realization. "And I have no way to get home now. "

"What do you mean she just vanished?" Captain Archer asked, looking around the ruins. He'd transported down with T'Pol as soon as Trip and Malcolm reported Hoshi missing.

"That's what happened, Cap'n," Trip responded. "One second she was standing right here holding one of those things and the next…POOF…there's a bright light and she's gone." He'd used his hands to make the point of her disappearance more dramatic.

T'Pol ran a scanner over the instruments. "There's nothing I can determine from these objects that explains your report."

"Be that as it may," Malcolm interjected, "She doesn't appear to still be on the planet, and there's no evidence of her demise. These objects are at present our only clue."

"I suggest we take one back to _Enterprise_ to examine more closely," T'Pol stated. "Perhaps we can determine what the connection is between the facts as we know them."

Archer nodded. "If it's our only clue, then we follow that thread. This search is top priority. I want Ensign Sato found."

Hoshi had spent her first night in the past sleeping on a bench in the park where she'd first found herself. Her survival training had included instructions in finding food in both urban and non-urban settings. Water was easily obtained from the fountain in the park. She'd also found a discarded newspaper in one of the trash bins and used it to determine what was happening at this timepoint in history.

One thing was certain, the fact that she was here in this time and place appeared to be a random event based solely on the conversation she'd been having at the moment she pushed the button. She was 230 years in the past and there was no way she knew to contact _Enterprise_. She had come to the conclusion that she was stranded here, and her only choice was to find a way to live without affecting the timeline in a negative fashion.

Reading through the paper, it became clear that there wasn't a lot of need for communications officers. Scanning the help wanted advertisements, she noticed one for Warner Brothers studio. They were in need of a sound engineer. Based on the short description, it looked promising.

The next day she made her way to the studio. It took some creative playacting but she found her way onto the studio grounds and learned which building and office to go to where she could apply for the job. Eventually she found herself in a rather nondescript office across the desk from man who obviously felt their meeting was a waste of time.

"What makes you think you can do this job, missy?" he asked her.

"Because I'm the best sound engineer in this century," she answered with assurance. "If you don't think I could be qualified, why did you agree to see me?"

"Sam Warner said he wanted everyone who applies to be interviewed and when the boss says do it, who am I to argue?" He gave her a once over. "Why are you wearing coveralls?"

She thought quickly. "Engineering can be a dirty job. I figured you might want me to show you what I can do so I came prepared."

"You want to show me?"

"Are you going to believe me otherwise?"

The man appeared to consider her question. "Probably not." There was a change in his attitude. "Ok, missy. I'm going to give you this one chance. You show the engineers from Western Electric you can do the work, I'll give you a break. If you can't, go find some other studio to work at."

"Deal," Hoshi answered. She had her foot in the door, now she just needed to follow through.

It'd been two days since Hoshi has disappeared from the planet. T'Pol had taken one of the devices apart and had examined it closely. It wasn't until she ran a thorough radiation profile, though, that the reality of the device became clear.

"It's temporal radiation, Captain," she reported during the briefing she'd called. "The same spectrum as we've seen previously, including the ship from the future."

"It's a time travel device?" Archer clarified.

"It appears to be. Although, I cannot determine how it operates."

Archer turned towards Trip. "You sure you can't tell us anymore about what happened?"

Trip let out a frustrated sigh. "Don't 'cha think I would if I could? It's like I said, we were just talking while we were examining the ruins, and we came across a container with these devices. Hoshi picked one up and looked it over. When she pushed the button, there was a bright light and then she was gone." He paused looking at T'Pol. "You think she may have been transported in time?"

"It's a working hypothesis. It fits the facts that we know at present."

"Any way we can determine when or where Hoshi is?" Archer asked.

"No," was T'Pol's definitive answer. Archer's visage clearly asked for more information. "The instrument that Ensign Sato was using apparently dropped from her hands. I have examined it but there is no record that I can find that would tell where she went. I have been able to determine, however, that the level of radiation in the device she used has been dissipated, and thus I hypothesize that the devices are used for single usage."

"So not a round trip," Archer surmised.

"That is my analysis."

"Great." Archer's tone showed his frustration with the answer. He let out a sigh. "Keep working on it. There's got to be a solution to this. I'm not willing to leave Hoshi stranded if there's any hope of retrieving her." His words may have been hopeful but the sinking feeling in his gut didn't agree with them.

Returning to her apartment, the newest engineer on the Warner Studio's lot kicked off her shoes. She went over to her icebox and pulled out a pitcher of lemonade and fixed herself a glass. LA summers were no cooler in the past than they were in the time she grew up.

The work on _Don Juan _was finished. While the technology was primitive to her, the synchronization between the film and the recorded sound had gone well. She had been surprised that the studio hadn't wanted to have the actors speaking but rather were just coordinating the orchestra soundtrack on a recordable disk with the film. George Groves, in charge of the project, had taken her suggestion to use multiple microphones to record the live orchestra. It had worked, and he was well on his way to becoming the go-to guy for sound. He was in New York now, going to the world premiere of the movie at the Warner Theatre. She wondered if Trip knew this movie first shown August 6, 1926 was the first movie to use such a technique.

Movie night on _Enterprise_ was somber. Hoshi was usually one of the first to arrive in the makeshift theatre, and everyone knew she hadn't yet been found. In fact, a week after her disappearance, it was apparent that there wasn't a great deal of potential to retrieve her. Trip had decided, based on the last conversation he'd had with her, to show the first 'talkie.' _The Jazz Singer _was not the best picture, in his opinion, but it was interesting from a history of cinematic theatre perspective.

The room was packed. Not so much for the show as for the crew's need to pull together in honor of their missing crewmate. There was barely a dry eye by the time the credits rolled across the screen.

"What a coincidence," remarked Phlox to Trip.

"What?" Trip wondered.

"The fact that one of the sound engineers listed in the credits was a H. Sato."

"Really? I never noticed."

"Yes. I was apparently the only one still watching the screen when the credits rolled."

Archer had walked over to the two men. "You know, before tonight, I don't think I'd ever seen this picture."

"I'd seen it, but Phlox here found an interesting coincidence."

"Really," Jon stated, his eyebrows indicating his interest.

"Yes. One of the sound engineers was a H. Sato."

Jon blinked. "Quite a coincidence considering."

Trip had his head tilted, his lip pulled in as if he was thinking. "What if it wasn't a coincidence after all?"

"What do you mean?" Archer asked.

"I mean…weird that Hoshi and I were talking about early movies when she pushed that button. Could she have determined her when and where from what she was thinking?"

"You think the H. Sato that worked on _The Jazz Singer _could be Hoshi?"

"We don't have any other leads. Could be. Stranger things have happened."

A grin crossed Jon's face. "Couldn't hurt to chase that rabbit. Good catch Phlox."

"He really said that?" Hoshi asked.

"That's what the scuttlebutt says. They say he said it during a meeting. 'Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?' You can't say H.S. Warner minces his words."

"But he's wrong. It's the talking in movies that really keeps them alive through the centuries." When George looked at her strangely, she added, "I mean that's what I think will keep them alive. The spoken word is powerful."

"True. We do have the techniques down now. I think I'll suggest we use it to record the singer in the upcoming movie. Couldn't hurt."

"Agreed," Hoshi looked over to her boss. "Hey, thanks for the invitation to the party the other night. Meeting John Barrymore and Douglas Fairbanks was really the cat's meow."

"It was good to have you there. That flapper outfit you wore was a hit."

"I figure it's the twenties. Why not enjoy them."

George smiled. "Hoshi, there's no one I know that enjoys life more. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'll be here bright and early."

"So, you're ready to try this?" Archer asked. He'd wanted to be the one to take the risk pointing out that he'd traveled in time more than anyone else on the ship, but Malcolm firmly told him losing the captain if things went wrong wasn't going to happen. Malcolm instead said he'd do it himself When Archer tried point out that he was a key asset to the ship as well, Malcolm argued he wasn't willing to let anyone else take the risk either and that as the ship's tactical officer, that was his job. The captain had finally given in.

"Yes sir. I've been keeping the installation of the new targeting system on my mind for the last three days. Having stored one of the devices there should give me a way back if it works."

"Good luck," Archer said to his tactical officer. T'Pol was still skeptical that anything would come from the test other than losing another valuable officer. Still, the first step in retrieving Hoshi was confirming Trip's hypothesis.

"Targeting installation, targeting installation, targeting installation…" Reed chanted mantra like as he pushed the button.

A bright light filled the room and the Lieutenant was gone. Trip looked over to Archer, concern on his face. T'Pol was stoically waiting. A moment later Reed was back.

"I remember now," Archer stated with a smile on his face. "You popped in and retrieved the box."

"I think this proves the hypothesis," Reed agreed. "Problem is, we can't leave a box back when Hoshi is."

"True. But now we know how to get to a particular time and place."

"And how does that help, Cap'n?" Trip asked.

"Because I know when and where I can contact someone that can help us retrieve Hoshi."

"Daniels," T'Pol stated.

"Exactly," Archer said. "This time, I'm going."

"No," Malcolm stated firmly. "The risk is…"

"Acceptable," Archer replied. "You proved how we get to where and when we need to go. I've got the history with Daniels. He'll listen to me."

"And if he doesn't?" T'Pol asked.

"He'll listen," Jon stated quietly, picking up a box and starting to chant.

Hoshi smiled as the crowd stood up in the theatre to applaud Jolson's words "You ain't heard nothing yet!" George had asked her to accompany him to the premier of _The Jazz Singer_ at the Warner Theatre on Broadway feeling she deserved it after making the suggestion to actually approach Jolson for the role after George Jessel and Eddie Cantor had turned down the role.

The studio hadn't been willing to ask Jolson at first. After all, he was the most popular star on Broadway, and the studio needed to watch how much was spent on this new venture. Hoshi, though, had pointed out that asking wouldn't hurt. If his price was too high, they could walk away. Otherwise, they'd have the star power on film.

Everyone was surprised when Jolson agreed, clearly excited to try this new medium out. Apparently, he liked to be the first to do things. He had entertained the troops in The Great War as the first star to do so. He had been the first to take Broadway shows on tour and the first to have a runway that effectively sliced the auditorium of a theatre in two, so that he could dance from the back of the stalls to the proscenium arch. Still, he wasn't going to do it for free. He would be the first movie actor to receive 25 percent of the take from the film.

As she walked out of the theatre, she heard her name called. Looking over to the right, she saw a familiar person. Crewman Daniels. "Excuse me George, I need to say hello to someone. I'll catch up with you at Sardi's."

"Alright, Hoshi. Don't be late. I think Jolson's going to sing for us there. You don't want to miss that."

"I won't." She squeezed his hand. "Hey, George. Thanks."

"Glad to do it," George responded. "See you soon."

She watched as he walked away before going over to the man she knew could take her home. "It took you long enough. How did you know?"

Daniels shrugged. "Your captain is a very determined man." He pulled out a device. "Did you enjoy your sojourn to the past?"

Hoshi smiled. "It was interesting but I'm ready to go back to _Enterprise_ now."

He pressed the keys on his device and moments later, she was standing in the control center with the senior officers. Captain Archer smiled. He'd been returned by Daniels before the time agent had gone into the past to retrieve the stranded communications officer. "Welcome back, Hoshi." The others provided their greetings as well.

"Thanks," she responded. Looking over to Trip she added, "Boy, do I have some things to tell you."

T'Pol raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about her statement. Rather she cautioned, "I assume you won't be pushing buttons you don't know the action of in the future?"

Hoshi answered, "You can bet on it."

Finis


End file.
